


Mixed Doubles

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7765354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The youngest residents of Stately Wayne Manor are growing up, whether anyone is ready for it or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mixed Doubles

Mixed Doubles

 

“Hi.  I know this is going to sound weird, especially since I’ve been told that I have no chance with you, but I had fun at the party last week, and I’d like to see you again.”

“Who is this?” Gina Abbey asked, as she hadn’t recognized the number on her caller ID.

Tim chuckled lightly, expecting this response.  “This is Tim Drake.”

“Oh, hi Tim,” recognition flared in her voice, “I thought it might be you.  Look, I had a good time, too, even though I didn’t really show it.  I don’t know what you’re expecting here, but you should know that I’m dating someone.”

Tim smiled to himself, “I know.  Robin told Damian, who told me.  What I was expecting…well, I wasn’t really expecting anything.  When we were talking, it sounded like we had a lot in common.  I don’t know about you, but I can always use as many friends as I can get.  I was hoping you would feel the same, and want to be one of them.”

The line was silent for a second before Gina said, “…You know that I’m…”

“Yes,” Tim interrupted.

“And?”

“And, it doesn’t bother me.  I’m not looking for a relationship right now, and you’re already in one, so what’s the harm in just being friends?”

Gina smiled as she said, “I don’t see any harm in it, friend.  I will say, though, I don’t think I’ve ever had a guy call me just to be friends.  It’s kind of refreshing.”

“That’s alright.  I’ve never called a girl, just to be friends.”

A girlish giggle came over the line, “You’re funny, Tim Drake.  If I was interested, you might be a good choice.  So, why did you really call today?”

Tim smiled, “Two reasons, actually.  One, well, we already covered that.  I really was concerned that you didn’t enjoy the party last week.  Alfred gets upset if he hears that people leave one of his parties with anything but positive sentiments.”

“Who’s Alfred?” Gina asked.

“Alfred is our butler.  He’s also the guy who made those canapes you seemed to be enjoying so much.”

“Those…Were… _Amazing._   Do you guys eat like that every night?”

“No, of course not.  But, Alfred is lauded in song and story for never having made a bad meal.”

“I would weigh three hundred pounds if he were cooking for us,” Gina said firmly.  “Your whole family is skinny, though.  I don’t know how you do it.”

“Takes a lot of work,” Tim said, “We hit the gym quite often.”

The line was quiet for a minute, “I can’t see Bruce Wayne at 24 hour fitness.”

Tim chuckled again, “We have our own gym equipment in the house.”

Gina snorted, “The place is big enough.  You could have your own gym equipment factory in there and not notice it.”

Tim said thoughtfully, “That may be the one business that Bruce doesn’t have a hand in.  Maybe he should.  We wouldn’t have to look too far for models.”

“That didn’t sound arrogant, or anything, Tim.”

“We take a lot of pride in staying fit.  It’s one of the few things that the family does together.”

Gina huffed, “That’s another thing.  I don’t understand your family.  I mean, I read the papers.  Are any of you even related to each other?”

Tim shook his head slowly.  “Gina, you can’t believe what you read in the papers.  Three-quarters of those so-called ‘exclusive’ interviews are third-hand rumors at best.  Bruce doesn’t grant interviews.  Just about all of them you see in the society rags never happened.  Only one journalist has ever written an honest piece about our family.”

“Who’s that?” Gina asked, interested.

“A guy named Clark Kent, from the Daily Planet.  It’s a Metropolis paper.  Bruce likes his writing, or something, because he is the only one who has ever been granted an actual exclusive interview.  Those other exclusives are just writers being the first to publish a new rumor.”

“I don’t know, Tim.  That Vicki Vale seems to get quite a few scoops.  Where does she get all that?”

Tim sighed, “If there is one Gotham reporter that may print a shred of truth about us, it’s Vicki Vale.  But, she has her own agenda.”

Gina asked, “What kind of agenda?”

“She dated Bruce twenty years ago.  She was convinced that, since Bruce likes his privacy, and at the time was living alone in this big house, that he had to be hiding something big.  Bruce is just a private person.  It comes from living so much of his life in front of the cameras.  The way Bruce tells it, she was never able to turn off the reporter, and it drove him away.  She has spent the last twenty years thinking she got too close to something big, and has been trying to get close to it again.  Bruce likes her, but until she can learn to clock out, it won’t go any farther than the occasional dinner.”

“Huh.  I guess that makes sense.  But, Tim?”

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, yeah.  Damian is.  The rest of us are adopted.”

“Really?” Gina exclaimed.  “Well, I guess that makes sense.  They do look almost exactly alike.  Wait, the rest of us?  How many of you are there?”

Tim smiled, “Well, there’s me and Dick and Damian, and Jason, you haven’t met him.  Then there’s the thirty Oompa Loompas in the basement.”

Gina laughed as Tim continued, “I think he tried to adopt Alfred once, but it didn’t quite work out.”

“Stop, Tim.  Be serious,” she laughed.

“I am being serious…about everything but the Oompa Loompas.  They’re Guatemalans.  Cheaper to keep than Oompa Loompas.”

Gina sighed, “I’m not going to get a straight answer out of you, am I?”

“You might.  I _am_ the straight one in this conversation.  It also depends on your major.”

Gina sounded irritated, “You may be the straight one, but you’re also the overachiever.  I don’t start college until the fall, but I plan on studying journalism.”

“Hmm…Maybe I shouldn’t give you a straight answer.”

“You can be my first exclusive.”

“We’ll see.  I like my privacy just as much as Bruce does, though.”

Gina asked innocently, “I thought you liked helping people, too?”

“Ooh.  Hitting all the right buttons today, aren’t you?”

“You said there were two reasons you called.  What’s the second reason?”

“Oh, well…How angry was your dad after the party last week?”

Gina sighed, “He wasn’t happy, but I think it was more of a shock that Robin and Damian actually seemed to hit it off.  Why?”

It was Tim’s turn to sigh.  “Damian’s been pestering all of us about when he can see Robin again.”

“Robin’s been doing the same thing.”

“Has she?” Tim asked with a smile.  “Here’s the deal.  I’m getting tired of hearing it, but at the same time, I think they go pretty well together.  So, here’s what I propose: a double date.”

“Tim,” Gina said, shocked, “Didn’t you hear me when I said I was seeing someone?”

“Didn’t you hear me when I said I’m not looking for a relationship?  Just hear me out.  Although he might not seem like it, Damian is really shy.  He’s scared to call Robin on his own and ask her out.  He might be a bit more scared of your father, but he’s still scared.  Now, if I understand the situation correctly, your parents are still trying to set you up with guys?”

“Yes.  I wish they would stop.”

“You could always tell them,” Tim suggested.

“Uh, no.  That would kill my mom.”

“Since that is where we are, what I propose is that I act as…well, for guys they call it a beard.  I don’t know what they call it for girls.  It will get your parents off your back for a bit, if they think you’re dating me.  We can get Robin and Damian together in a supervised environment, and, maybe, we can have a little fun, as friends.”

The line was quiet for a minute before Gina said, “I like that idea.  Hold on, let me run it past Robin, and my parents.”

Tim waited patiently as Gina asked the first person she could find.  Tim wasn’t quite sure which one it was through the muffled conversation, until an incredibly loud, high-pitched squeal of “YES!!” nearly deafened him.  Tim yanked the phone away from his ear and cringed at the pain of the noise. 

Placing the phone gingerly back to his ear, he heard Gina’s voice asking, “Tim?  Are you still there?”

“Yeah, still here.  I take it that was Robin?”

“No, that was my dad,” Gina answered sarcastically.  “Of course it was Robin.”

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.  What did she think of the idea?”

“I think she liked it,” Gina laughed.  “Oh, wait.  Mom and Dad came to see what she’s yelling about.  Let me run it past them.”

Tim cringed and held the phone an inch away from his ear, just in case the elder Abbey’s were just as excited for the proposal.  When no further deafening outcries met his ear, Tim placed the phone back against it and tried to listen to what was happening on the other end of the phone.

Several minutes later, Gina came back on the line.  “Sorry, Tim.  Are you still there?”

“Still here, Gina.”

“Great.  When were you planning on this double date, and what did you have in mind?”

Tim thought for a second before replying, “How about an early movie and a late lunch tomorrow?”

There was another mumbled conversation on the other end of the line as Tim waited patiently.  Finally, Gina came back and said, “You have yourself a double date, Tim.  Just tell Damian to be on his best behavior.  Dad is going to want to have a talk with him when you come to pick us up.”

Tim smiled as he said, “Of course, I’ll let him know.  He and Bruce already had a long talk a couple days ago.  And Gina?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.  See you tomorrow.”

Tim hung up the phone and set it down on his desk with a sigh.  He rubbed at his forehead for a minute before turning his desk chair around to face the rest of his bedroom at Stately Wayne Manor.  The tension drained from his head and a smile set itself upon his lips as he saw the room’s other occupant.  Damian sat cross-legged on the end of Tim’s bed, leaning forward as if he had been trying to hear both sides of the preceding conversation.

“Well?” The boy asked expectantly.

Tim’s smile grew, “It’s a date.”

Damian grew a smile to match Tim’s, “Excellent.”

_The next day…_

Tim stuck his head in through the partially opened door to Damian’s room.  Spotting the boy sitting at his desk, he smiled and said, “Hey.  We’re leaving in an hour.  You going to be ready by then?”

Damian started in his seat as the unexpected voice broke through his thoughts.  He turned, and Tim was only partly surprised to see how pale Damian was.

“Tt.  Of course I’ll be ready.”

Tim smiled and said, “Of course you will.  You okay?”

“I’m fine, Drake,” Damian said, slightly annoyed.  “Um…have you seen Father lately?”

A new voice sounded as the door was pushed fully open, “He has now.  What’s up, son?”

Damian looked back and forth between the men at his door and said, “Can I speak with you, Father?  Alone, Drake, please?”

Tim nodded, “Sure, Damian.  Remember, we’re leaving in an hour.”

Damian watched Tim walk away.  Bruce smiled from the door and asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Close the door, please, Father,” Damian said softly.

Bruce did so, then walked up and sat on the edge of the bed.  Damian turned to face him, but resolutely stared at his hands.

Bruce asked, “What’s wrong, Damian?  I thought you were excited for this.”

“I am, or, I was.  It’s just…”

“You’re nervous,” Bruce said quietly, with a knowing nod.  “It’s okay to be nervous; it’s your first date.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Father,” Damian blurted out.

Bruce sighed, “Did you know what you were doing last Saturday?”

“…No.”

“Well, you seemed to do alright then.  What is different now?”

Damian sighed, “That was a formal party.  This is a _date_.  I…I don’t even know what to wear, or how to act.”

“Son, it’s a movie and burgers, not a state dinner.  What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?”

Damian looked down at the t-shirt and jeans he was wearing and asked, “Isn’t this…too casual?”

“It’s fine, son.”

“Well,” Damian looked no closer to content, “What if she has…expectations?”

Bruce grinned softly, “What kind of expectations?  We already discussed sex, Damian.  She can’t force you into that, just like you won’t force her into it.  Besides, do you think she is the type to put out on a first date?”

Damian looked down again, “No…I don’t know.  She was moving pretty fast at the party.  _She_ was the one who held my hand.  _She_ sat on the bed first.  _She_ was the one who kissed me.”

“Damian, it all seems to be happening so fast because this is the first time you’ve found a girl you like.  Out of curiosity, have you spoken to her since the party?”

Damian shook his head, “No, but we text every day.  That’s another problem.  What do I tell her?  What’s our cover story?”

Bruce’s voice grew stern.  “There is no cover story.  There is no reason to discuss anything even coming close to night work, so there is no need for a cover story.”

Damian sighed as he pulled out his phone.  Pulling up Robin’s last text to him, he handed the phone to Bruce and said, “That’s not the cover story I need, Father.”

Curiously, Bruce read the last text, his breath catching in his throat as he did.  The message read: _You talk about your dad and brothers a lot.  I’d love to hear about your mom sometime._

“Oh, wow,” Bruce whispered.

“What do I tell her, Father?  I can’t tell her the truth, but I don’t want to start a relationship on a lie.  Especially a lie we all have to be onboard for.”

“What have you told her,” Bruce asked.

“Nothing.  This is the first time any mention of me even having a mother has come up.”

Bruce met Damian’s eyes for half a minute.  The boy was searching for any answer he could find.  Finally, Bruce said, “Tell her the truth.”

The boy’s eyes widened as he realized what Bruce said, “WHAT?  Father, I would like a second date to follow the first, not a restraining order.  How are the Abbey’s going to react when they find out that their youngest daughter is dating the heir to the League of Assassins?  What will they say when they find out that the number of people I’ve killed is greater than the combined ages of their daughters?  Why does it seem like the only way for me not to scare her off is to be someone else?”

“Tell her the truth, just spin it a little.”

Damian cocked his head, “What do you mean?”

Bruce leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “Your mother is a business leader, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, hostile takeovers, that kind of thing.  She leads a vast organization with far-reaching power.  We met on a business trip, but she couldn’t leave her family business any more than I could leave mine.  She got in some trouble a couple years ago, and couldn’t take care of you or keep you safe anymore, so she brought you to stay with me while she dealt with her issue.  You haven’t seen her in a long time.”

Damian got up and sat close to Bruce.  Bruce automatically put an arm around Damian’s shoulders and pulled him in close.  “Is that how you think of Mother?  Is that what makes you able to accept me?  Not thinking about the…other side of everything I’ve done?”

Bruce looked down into the boy’s face and said softly, “Think about it, Damian.  Nothing I said was a lie.  It’s just not exactly the truth, either.  Just like we’ve come up with cover stories for most of your scars, this is just another cover story…”

“…Covering the biggest scar of all,” Damian interrupted in a whispered tone.

“As for your other question, I don’t accept you by ignoring what you’ve done in the past.  I accept you because you did those things, then made the conscious decision to not do them anymore; to change yourself because it was the right thing for you.  As for today, I can guarantee that she is as nervous as you are.”

Damian scoffed, “I doubt it.  I doubt she is sitting in her room, trying to figure out which version of her life makes her look less like a monster.”

Bruce turned and placed both hands on his son’s shoulders.  “Damian, it’s okay to be nervous.  It doesn’t mean you are a less worthwhile person, or that there is something wrong with you.  This is your first date.  If you weren’t nervous, then I would be worried.  You’re overthinking it.  When you see her again, all this will fade away, and you will know what to do.  That’s how it happened at the party, right?”

“Yeah,” Damian sighed.

“This time should be easier.  You two already know each other, you’ve been talking all week, and according to Tim, Robin nearly deafened him, jumping at the chance to see you again.”

Damian gave a weak smile, “Drake did mention that.  I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing, Father.”

“That’s okay, son.  Just go out there and be yourself.”

Damian’s weak smile transformed into a smirk.  “Are you sure that’s the advice you want to send me on my way with?”

Bruce gave Damian a light hug and said, “You aren’t this beast you seem to think you are.  Stop being so hard on yourself, go out there, and have some fun.”

“I think I can do that now, Father.”

Dick and Tim were talking in the living room when Bruce and Damian walked in.  Damian was happy to see that Tim was dressed as casually as he was. 

Tim smiled up at the boy from the couch and said, “Oh, good.  I was just about to come and get you.  You ready?”

Damian looked acutely uncomfortable as he said, “Um…I guess?  Wait, shouldn’t we bring, I don’t know, flowers, or something?  Isn’t that something you do on a date?”

“Why don’t you save that for the second date, pal?” Dick asked, trying desperately to keep the smile off his face.  He could tell that Damian was nervous enough as it was.

“Oh.  Well, then, yeah, I guess I’m ready.”

“Okay.  Before we go, I need to let you know something,” Tim said seriously.

Damian rolled his eyes, “Not you, too, Drake.”

“What?”

“More dating advice?”

Tim looked strangely at Bruce and Dick before saying, “No.  I was going to tell you about Mike Abbey.”

Damian looked confused for a second before saying, “Oh.  What about him?”

“Apparently, he isn’t too happy about his youngest daughter dating, so if you want a second date, you need to be very respectful to him.  It’s a parent thing, I guess.  Shake his hand.  Call him sir.  Answer his questions honestly and promptly.  Smile.  And, whatever you do, don’t touch Robin when he can see you.  If you can win him over, you have a chance of a second date being allowed.  Also, if Robin sees you trying to be nice to her parents, she will be impressed.”

Damian took a deep breath and blew it out before saying, “Dating is hard.  Why do we do it?

Bruce answered with a smile.  “Because you love Robin, and you want to spend time with her.  You’ll understand by the time you get home.  Oh, yeah, don’t go shouting that one out in front of her father, either.”

“Which one,” Damian asked, cocking his head.

“That you love her.”

Damian looked at Bruce strangely and said, “But I do, I think.  What’s wrong with saying it?”

Dick said, “It’s just a bit too soon, Little D.  Just go out there and have some fun today.  Timmy will be there for you if you need some moral support.”

Tim stood as he checked his watch, “We should go.  Don’t want to be late.”

At a quarter to one, Tim pulled into the Abbey family’s driveway.  It was a completely normal-looking tract-house on the south edge of Gotham Heights.  Looking at it, one would never know that a multi-millionaire lived there.

Damian snorted, and Tim said, “Just because they don’t live in a mansion…”

“No, it’s not that,” Damian interrupted, “The way everyone was talking, I expected Mr. Abbey to be sitting on the porch with a shot gun.  I actually like the house, it’s inconspicuous.  It may not be exactly…ancestral, but inconspicuous.  Then again, we have too much wasted space and old stuff that no one will ever use.”

Tim smirked, “Let’s go, Romeo.”

Tim and Damian walked to the front door, the flock of butterflies growing in Damian’s stomach with each step.  Despite his stomach, Tim pushed the doorbell.  A gently smiling woman answered the door a minute later.  “Hello.”

Tim stepped forward, extending his hand.  “Hello, Mrs. Abbey.  I’m Tim.”

“Oh, yes,” her smile grew, “Of course.  We’ve been expecting you.”

Mrs. Abbey looked over her shoulder, then stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her.  Damian paled considerably as the woman looked at them seriously.

“Timothy, thank you for trying, but it really isn’t necessary for you to do this.”

“Ma’am?” Tim asked, confused.

She smiled sagely and said, “I know Gina is gay.  You don’t have to cover for her.”

“What makes you think Gina is gay,” Tim asked, expertly hiding his nerves.

“Well, let’s see.  She owns more flannel than the city of Seattle.  She hasn’t had a serious boyfriend in…ever.  She hates the color pink.  And, she told us last night and introduced us to her girlfriend.  She’s a nice girl.  I’m not happy with the outcome, but I accept it, because I love my daughter.”

Her face paled as she looked at Tim, “Oh, god.  She didn’t tell you, did she?  I’m so sorry, Tim.  Oh, I feel so bad.  You came here expecting to go on a date, and I had to tell you that the second you got here.”

Damian chuckled as Tim said, “It’s okay, Mrs. Abbey.  I knew.”

The woman looked shocked, “You did?  And you still came for a date?”

Tim gave a pleasant smile and said, “I knew, and I still came to take a friend to the movies.  He came for a date.” Tim hitched a thumb at Damian.

Damian lost what little color he had regained listening to Tim’s date being outed as Lisa Abbey turned to him.  “You _have_ to be Damian.  You are exactly as Robin described you.”

Damian didn’t know what to think of that as he shook the extended hand and said, “Hello, ma’am.  It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Ooh, and polite, too.  You two have heard enough of me making a fool out of myself.  Let’s go in and get the girls.”

Mrs. Abbey led the boys into the house.  As they passed a front living room, Damian heard his name called by a deep voice.  He entered the room to find Mike Abbey sitting in a tall-backed leather chair.  He swallowed hard as he approached the man.

“H-Hello, sir.”

Mike smirked internally at the obvious nerves in the boy’s voice, “Sit down, Damian.”

Damian sat.  “I’m sure you know that I’m not too happy about this,” Mike said seriously.

“Yes, sir,” Damian nodded slightly.

“I’m still not happy that you took my little girl to your room last week.”

“I had no intentions other than showing her my sketchbook, sir.”

Mike looked shrewdly at the boy, “…And, if we’d left you two up there longer?”

Damian shrugged, “We would have made it through the rest of my sketchbook.  Maybe looked at a couple pieces I’ve been working on, then returned to the party, sir.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sir.”

Lisa Abbey’s voice sounded from the door.  “Oh, stop scaring the poor boy, Mike.  He and Robin are going to have chaperones, and they’ll be home before dinner.”

Damian turned to address the woman who came to his defense.  “He’s not scaring me, ma’am.  I was scared before I even left home.”

“Why?” Mike asked, leaning forward.

“It’s my first date, sir,” Damian said softly.

Mike’s eyes narrowed, “You mean your first date with my daughter?”

“No, sir.  My first date ever.”

Mike looked at the boy strangely and said, “That means…”

“I have no idea what I’m doing, Mr. Abbey,” Damian whispered, leaning towards the man.  “I’ve never done this before.  I don’t know how I’m supposed to act.  All I know is I like your daughter, and I want to spend some time getting to know her.  I will never hurt her, or try to force her into anything she isn’t ready for.  I know I’m not ready for anything like you thought I was trying last week.  I…I don’t have many friends.  I’d like to try that first.”

Mike finally smiled at the boy, satisfied with the answers he got.  He stood and said, “Then let’s go.  Don’t want to keep the girls waiting.”

“Damian!”  The boy, walking between Mike and Lisa Abbey, was nearly tackled by the smiling young blonde girl.  Remembering the advice from earlier, Damian only touched the girl to keep them from falling over, and a slight return of the embrace.

“Hi, Robin.  I’ve missed you.”  Mike and Lisa walked ahead, not looking as their daughter hugged the younger boy.

Gina approached her father and said, “Geez, dad, what did you do?  He looks white as a ghost.  He’s not going to try anything; you didn’t have to scare him.”

“I know he’s not going to try anything.  At least, I do now.”

Tim checked his watch as Robin released Damian and said, “We should go if we’re going to make the movie.”

Mike and Lisa walked the pair of duos to the door.  Mike opened the door and said, “Robin, remember what I told you.  Damian, I’m trusting you with a lot right now.  Don’t let me down.”

Robin blushed and said, “Dad!  We’re going to a movie, not a motel.”

Damian’s eyes widened and he paled again as they walked out of the house.  Lisa said, “He’s just a boy, a child, dear.  You can lighten up on the strict father routine.  I thought you liked him.”

“I did, until he started showing an interest in my baby,” Mike grumbled.

Lisa gasped, “Oh, look.  He opened the door for her.”

“He better.”

“Mike, stop.  He’s a nice boy.”

Mike sighed as the car pulled out of the driveway.  “I need to call Bruce.  I told him I would let him know when they left here.  He’s just as protective of those boys as I am of the girls.”

“Aww, that’s cute.  You would never think that about him after reading the tabloids.”

Several minutes later, Bruce and Mike connected over the phone.  “Hi, Bruce.  Just wanted to let you know they just left here.”

Mike could hear the smile in Bruce’s voice.  “Did Damian manage to say anything, or was he too nervous?”

“He was very polite.  He won over my wife quite easily.”

“Well, he does seem to go for older women,” Bruce chuckled.

“Bruce, I feel I should apologize for the things I said about Damian.  After talking to him, I can tell that he has nothing but the best intentions in mind for my daughter.”

“You gave him the no-nonsense parent routine,” Bruce asked, a bit concerned.

“…A little.  I’m sorry, Bruce, she’s my daughter.  I can’t just throw her at any boy that comes along and hope nothing happens.”

“How did he take it?”

Mike sighed, “I think I scared him.  He put on a brave face, but I could tell that he wanted to make sure I was aware he wasn’t going to hurt Robin.  I really didn’t help his nerves any.”

“Mike, Damian will never do anything…untoward…to your daughter.  Come on, he told me that he thought sitting next to her on his bed was moving too fast, and he only did that so they could both see his art book.”

“I wish I could have believed you then, Bruce.  Maybe I wouldn’t have had to scare that admission out of Damian.”

Bruce’s voice grew hard, “What admission?”

“Damian told me that he would never do anything to hurt Robin.  He said he doesn’t have many friends and wants to get to know her as a friend first.”

“He told you that?”

“Yeah, he did, and I believe him.  There was something…off, though.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.  It was more than just nerves.”

Bruce sighed, and was rubbing his hands over his eyes as he said, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but maybe it will help you believe that what he said is true, and what I told you last week is true.  You have to promise me that he will never know that you know this; that your daughters will never find out about this, and that it never goes any farther than you and me.”

Mike’s eyes narrowed as his interest was piqued.  “Sure, Bruce.  What is it?”

“Do I have your word?  You can tell your wife, but no one else.  She can’t tell anyone, either, okay?”

“I promise,” Mike said solemnly.

Bruce took a deep breath and spoke in a soft tone.  “Okay.  Damian lived with his mother until he was ten.  I’ve only had him for a little over two years.  We found out a year ago that, while Damian was living with his mother, he was abused multiple times.  The physical scars are nothing next to the emotional scars.”

Mike was shocked, “Wait, abused or… _abused?”_

Pain was evident in Bruce’s voice as he said, “Both.  Damian is only now starting to trust people, and it is still hit and miss most of the time.  Then he met Robin, and it was like a door opened.  He is actually wanting to reach out and form a connection with another person.  He wasn’t lying when he said he doesn’t have friends.  To see him actively pursuing a relationship with a person his own age, well, it’s something I never thought I would see.”

Mike was short of breath as he said, “My god, Bruce.  I had no idea.  You would never know it by looking at him, or even after talking with him.  I feel terrible.  I never should have treated him the way I did.”

“No, Mike, you absolutely should have treated him exactly as you have.  The more exposure to normal interpersonal behavior we can expose him to, the better he will adjust to living in normal society.  I just hope that now you realize that, those behaviors you were accusing him of planning last week, he not only isn’t capable of inflicting them on another person, but they scare him so much that he doesn’t even realize what’s happening.”

The line was silent for a handful of moments before Mike said, “Thank you for trusting me with something like that, Bruce.  We’ll keep it quiet, and…maybe I’ll go a little easier on him from now on.”

That brought a smile back to Bruce’s face.  “From now on?  Does that mean you are consenting to the eventual second date?”

“…Yes, I think I am.  He’s a good kid, Bruce.  They go well together.  You should have seen it.  Robin almost tackled him when he came into the room.”

“Well,” Bruce said, in an arrogant tone, “We Wayne’s do know how to make an entrance.”

Mike snorted, “Sure you do.  Talk to you later, Bruce.”

_Meanwhile…_

Damian sat nervously in the back seat, only glancing over at Robin every two seconds.  Conversation between them wasn’t as easy as everyone had told him it would be, and he felt like he was failing before he even started.

Sitting at a red light, while Tim and Gina talked about the current band playing on the radio in the front seat, Robin leaned over and lightly touched Damian’s hand.

“Hey, are you okay?  Is there something wrong?”

Damian’s lip quaked slightly as he said, “No, nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

Damian looked down, but still glanced in her direction as he said quietly, “Because I don’t want you to think I’m strange for staring at you.  You look very nice today.”

Robin blushed a bit as she said, “Thank you.  I won’t think you’re strange if you want to look at me.  I want to look at you, too.”

Damian’s head came up slowly, and their eyes met for the first time today.  Instantly, he felt himself getting pulled into those deep green pools.  As he openly stared into her eyes, he felt his breath come easier and the knots in his shoulders loosen.  _This must be what Father meant.  Once we’re together, it will all fade away.  I get it now._

A slow, easy smile crossed his face as he sighed, not breaking eye contact.  She matched his smile and said, “What did dad want to talk to you about?”

Robin’s voice snapped Damian out of the trance he was entering.  “Huh?  Oh, he just wanted to make sure that I knew how important to him you are.  I agree with him completely.  You’re important to me, too.  I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.”

Robin rolled her eyes, “Sometimes, he is too overprotective.  I think I can take care of myself.  You’re not going to try anything, are you?”

_You’re a Robin, too.  You better be able to take care of yourself,_ he thought.  _Whoa, where did that come from?_   “No, of course I’m not going to try anything.”

Robin gave Damian a cryptic smile, “Hmm, that’s too bad.  That could be fun, if you tried.”

Damian leaned closer and said, “I respect you too much to try to take advantage of you.  If we ever get that far, I want it to be special.”

Robin opened and closed her mouth several times, astonished at the honest statement.  “If we do, it will be.  How are you able to make me feel like this?”

“Like what,” Damian asked, a bit concerned that he had done or said something wrong.

“Like I’m special, or important, or something.”

Damian leaned even closer to whisper into her ear, “You are.  At least, to me, you are.  You deserve to be treated in the best possible way.  You deserve much better than me.  I just wish I was good enough for you.”

In the front seat, Tim watched the two youths in the rearview mirror.  He nudged Gina and said, “Will you look at that.  It’s like they were apart for only an hour, not a week.”

Gina gave a warm smirk.  “Who would have thought that they would make such a good couple?”

Tim nodded, then changed the subject to what was weighing on his mind.  “So, you finally told your parents?”

Gina sighed, “Yeah.  You were right.  Anyway, I had to.”

Tim grew concerned, “Had to?”

“When I talked to them about today, Mom was just about ready to start planning the wedding.  I just had enough, I had to tell them.”

Tim heaved a sigh of relief, “Oh, good.  When your mom started telling me that I didn’t have to go out with you as a cover, I was wondering if she was just trying to weasel some information out of me.”

Gina laughed, “No.  She wasn’t.  She really gave you a warning that I’m gay?”

“She did.”

“What did you say?”

Tim looked over at Gina, “The truth.  I told her that I’m taking a friend out to the movies.  She seemed to accept that.”

Gina nodded, “That’s good.  You should meet Leah sometime.  I think you might like her.”

Before Tim could answer, a girlish laugh rang out from the back seat.  Tim smiled and winked at the rearview mirror, as he made eye contact with Damian, who nodded and blushed slightly.

“Damian, stop,” Robin giggled.  “You know, before I met you, with just what I heard around school, I never would have thought you would have a sense of humor.  Don’t make me laugh like that, Gina and Tim might hear us.”

Damian looked innocently at Robin.  “Who cares if they hear us?  It’s not like they don’t know why we’re here.  I had to beg Drake to call and try to set up a date for us.  They know.”

Robin looked thoughtful, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.  That’s another thing, though.  Why didn’t _you_ just call?”

Damian looked down again, “I was too nervous.”

“Why?”

“I thought you might say no,” he mumbled out.

Robin gasped at the turn in the boy, from insecure to confident, then back to insecure.  Damian continued, “Then, I was sure your dad would say no, once he heard my voice.  Having Drake take your sister out seemed like the only way we could get together without a society or charity function.  I…I didn’t want to wait that long.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that Gina was willing to make friends with your brother.  Are you sure you want to call this a date?”

Damian looked confused, “What else would we call it?”

Robin shook her head, “No, it’s a date.  It’s just that some boys wouldn’t be willing to call it a date.”

Damian gave her a sidelong glance, “…And you know this _how?_   Your father made it sound like this was your first date.”

She glanced down, then back up, looking at him through her bangs.  “It is.  A couple friends at school started dating, but their boyfriends won’t call going out a ‘date’.”

“What do they call it,” Damian asked, curious.

“They will say they’re ‘going out’ or having an ‘outing’, or say it’s ‘just a thing’.  Why can’t boys just call it what it is?”

Damian shook his head slowly, “You’re asking the wrong person.  Believe me, I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Robin slowly took his hand, as it lay on the seat between them.  “I think you’re doing a good job so far.  You’re better at this than you give yourself credit for.”

Damian gently tightened his grip on her hand, “You’re not too bad at it yourself.”

“Excuse me, but if you two wouldn’t mind, we do have tickets.”

Tim’s voice broke in to the tender moment.  Damian and Robin looked around to find themselves parked at the theater, and Tim and Gina both out of the car.  “Wait a second, Robin,” Damian whispered as he got out of the car.

Walking around the back of the vehicle, Damian asked Tim softly, “How long have we been here?”

Tim smiled, “Long enough that we gave up on you two noticing on your own that you were sitting in a parked car for as long as it took us to find a parking spot and get the tickets.  Did you even notice that the car stopped?”

“Um…no.  She’s so easy to talk to, Drake.  Thank you for doing this.”

Tim stopped as Damian opened the door for Robin and offered his hand to help her out of the car.  Tim walked around the other side to meet up with Gina as she asked, “Well?”

Tim gave her a full smile, “La-La Land.  They didn’t even know we stopped, or that they had been sitting alone in the car for ten minutes, just talking.”

Gina watched as Damian and Robin walked up to them, holding hands again.  “Cute, aren’t they.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that they make just about the nicest couple I’ve ever seen.”

Gina looked over at Tim as the young couple passed by, “What do you mean, ‘if you didn’t know better’?”

Tim shook his head, “It’s just experience talking.  I’ve had my fair share of failed relationships.  I really hope they don’t end up like, well, all my past relationships.  They deserve to be happy.”

“Yes.  You’re right.  I think they do, too.”

The quartet entered the theater and took their seats just as the theater darkened and the coming attractions started.  Robin leaned over to Damian and whispered, “What are we seeing?”

Damian opened his mouth, but found nothing coming out.  “I don’t know, Drake picked the movie.  At least, I think he did.  Your sister may have picked it out, but whatever it is, I don’t know what it’s called.”

Robin looked over at Damian and asked softly, “Are you still nervous?”

Damian looked sheepishly at her and nodded.

Robin smiled and said, “There’s no reason to be.  I like you, and I’ve been looking forward to this…”

“…Since yesterday afternoon?” Damian interrupted with a smirk.

Robin giggled, “Yeah, all the way since then.  Relax, Damian.  Enjoy yourself.  We’re here to have fun.”

“That’s what people keep telling me.”

“Then listen to them.  Or, listen to me.”

Damian smiled again, “I can do that.”

Robin confused Damian by folding the arm rest up into the seat.  He hadn’t known it did that, but he was glad that it did.  They both scooted closer to each other, and by the time that the actual movie started, Damian had relaxed enough to let go of her hand, and place his arm around her shoulder.

Halfway through the movie, Tim looked over and saw Damian looking at Robin, instead of the movie.  He lightly touched Damian’s shoulder and gave the boy a questioning look when he turned around.

“She’s asleep,” Damian whispered.  Tim leaned forward slightly to see Robin’s head resting on Damian’s shoulder.

A soft smile crossed Tim’s face as he asked, “What were you doing?”

“Watching her sleep.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so…peaceful.”

Tim nodded gently and asked, “You okay?”

Tim was surprised when Damian smiled, “Yeah.  I’m more than okay.  I think I might even be…happy.”

As the movie wound down, and just before Tim expected the credits to roll, he looked back over to see Damian’s head leaned over to the side.  Leaning forward to get a better view of what was going on, he had to bite his tongue to keep from cooing over his little brother.  He nudged Gina and motioned for her to take a look.  Gina couldn’t stop herself from releasing an adoring ‘aww’ as she saw Robin, still asleep, with her head on Damian’s shoulder.  Damian still had his arm wrapped around Robin, but now had his head leaned over and rested on top of Robin’s head, asleep as well.

Tim whispered in Gina’s ear, “I take it back, they do make the cutest couple I have ever seen.  It’s a good thing Dick isn’t here, he would be blinding everyone with the flash on his camera as he took pictures.”

Gina whispered back, “I kinda wish we had a camera right now.  That deserves to be memorialized.”

Tim smirked, “Will you ever forget it?”

Gina smirked back, “Not on your life.”

As the credits rolled and the lights came up, Damian stirred.  Looking around blearily, he gave a contented smile at the blonde head on his shoulder.  Looking the other way, he blushed a deep crimson as he found Tim and Gina watching him.

Tim smiled at the boy and said, “Hi.  Have a nice nap?  I should have left you two in the car and saved myself twenty bucks on your tickets.”

Robin stirred, waking gently.  She stretched as she, too, looked around blearily.  Damian felt acutely sad when she lifted her head off his shoulder.  “How long was I out?  Hasn’t the movie started yet?”

Gina’s jaw dropped as she said to her sister, “The movie is over.  Didn’t you see any of it?”

Robin stood, “It’s over?  I missed the whole thing?”

Tim stood and said, “Come on, we will have to pay for more tickets if we try to stay for the next showing.”

“Was it any good,” Robin asked as they walked out of the theater.

“Don’t look at me,” Damian said, “I fell asleep pretty soon after you did.”

Robin asked nervously, “Um, you don’t mind me sleeping on you like that?”

Damian smiled, “Not at all.  I was just hoping my shoulder was comfortable enough for you.”

“You two hungry,” Gina asked.

Robin replied, “Now that you mention it, yeah.  What should we get?”

“Anything you want, Robin,” Damian said.

Gina smiled and said, “I know you two have that butler at home with the awesome cooking skills, so you probably don’t go out much.  There’s this burger place at the Gotham Mall that’s pretty good.  Nothing like the food you guys served at the party, but good still.”

Tim shrugged, “Sounds good.  Which one were you thinking of?”

“Wait, you know the Gotham Mall?”

Tim smiled, “You can’t get t-shirts or jeans at the Suit Importer.  We’re more normal than you think, Gina.”

Gina shrugged, “Huh, who knew?  I was thinking Red Robin.”

Damian snorted, biting his lip painfully to keep himself from laughing.

Gina and Robin looked at the boy strangely.  Robin asked, “Is there something wrong with Red Robin?”

Damian was turning red from restraining his laugh as he said, “No.  I like their food.  What do you think, Drake?  Do you think there’s anything wrong with Red Robin?”

Unseen by the girls, Tim was glaring at Damian.  “No problem here.  Should we go?”

As they backed out of their parking spot, Gina asked Tim, “What’s so funny?  I feel like we’re missing something.”

Thinking on the fly, and hoping Damian would hear and play along, Tim said, “My first job was as a busboy at the Red Robin we’re going to.  I…I was fired after only a couple weeks.  One of the waiters was stealing from the cash register to boost his tips.  I was his busser, so he would tip me out of what he was stealing.  When it was discovered, all he had to say was that he hadn’t split his tips yet, and he made it look like I was stealing.  I heard that after I was fired, he was caught and fired, too.”

Gina looked sympathetic, “If you want to go somewhere else, we can go somewhere else.”

Tim shook his head, “I’m fine with it.  It was a long time ago.  It’s just a good thing that no one remembers me there, because we like their food, and go there from time to time.”

“Why didn’t you just start at Wayne Enterprises after high school?”

“Because I graduated at sixteen.  Bruce won’t hire anyone under eighteen.  He says it makes Human Resources easier, or something.  Bruce wanted me to have a little work experience before starting with Wayne Enterprises.”

Robin spoke up from the back seat, where she sat in the center seat, leaning against Damian’s shoulder.  “So, you went from a busboy to…whatever it is you’re doing now?”

Tim smiled, “I had a couple jobs in-between.  I worked at the campus bookstore for a year while in college.  Then I started at Wayne Tech for a few months before a position at the Wayne Foundation opened up.  I kind of go back and forth between the Foundation and Wayne Tech, but the Foundation is my main focus.”

“What is the Foundation,” Gina asked.

Tim smiled, “It’s the charitable wing of Wayne Enterprises.  The full name is the Thomas and Martha Wayne Charitable Foundation.  Any time you see or hear of any charity work being done by Wayne Enterprises, that’s us.”

“That’s so cool,” Robin said.  She looked up at Damian and said, “What are you going to do when you start working for your dad?”

Damian smirked, “I’m going to run the place.  Father’s chair will be mine.”

Robin laughed in a good-natured way while Gina turned to Tim and asked, “Is he serious?”

“Most of the time.  It really wouldn’t surprise me if he did take over.  Believe it or not, I think Damian would be good in a CEO position.  He’s a leader.”

Gina thought about that as Tim circled the lot, looking for a spot.  Robin stared at Damian in awe, wondering how he could be so nervous on a date with her, but absolutely confident when talking about taking over one of the biggest companies in the country.

“Hey, you two,” Tim said as he aimed for a spot, “When people ask you about what you did on your date today, it would be safest if you said you fell asleep at the movies, or just that you went to a movie.  Whatever you do, do not say that you slept together.  While it may be technically accurate, that phrasing will lead to a lot of trouble.”

Damian and Robin looked at each other and nodded, understanding the sagacity of the advice.

They were eventually parked, seated, and had their order taken.  Damian had to stop himself from throwing a fit when they were seated at a table, instead of a booth.  Tim surreptitiously placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, distracting him enough to let the spell go unnoticed as he whispered, “You can hold her hand just as well at a table as a booth.  Calm down.”

Conversation was light, and continued the good time being had by all.  Once they were seated, Damian found that Tim was right, and was glad he hadn’t pushed it any farther.  He was surprised that the date had gone so well so far, and he wasn’t looking for a way to ruin what he had.

Their plates were set in front of them, and the pair of pairs began eating.  Silence reigned for several minutes until Gina started chuckling.

“What’s so funny?” Tim asked gently.

“Them.  Isn’t this a bit backwards?”

Tim looked at the younger pair, who were wearing matching confused looks while similarly holding their food halfway between their plates and their mouths.  “What’s wrong with them, besides the obvious?”

Damian dropped his fork and said, “Hey!”

Gina interrupted him.  “I mean, look.  Shouldn’t he have ordered the bacon cheeseburger and fries, and she have ordered the chicken Caesar salad?”

Damian looked down at his salad and mumbled, “I follow dietary restrictions, sometimes.”

Robin looked over at him and asked interestedly, “What kind of dietary restrictions?”

Damian looked slightly embarrassed as he said, “Um…well, I guess I should tell you that I wasn’t raised in this country.  I was raised in the Middle East, India, Nepal, China, Southeast Asia, that kind of area.  It’s not anything religious, I’m just used to a different diet.  I’ve had to adjust to a lot of changes in living here, food is just one of them.”

Robin stared at Damian with a new appreciation shining in her eyes.  “You never said anything before.  Does it bother you that I’m eating this?  I can order something else.”

“No,” Damian said quickly, “It doesn’t bother me.  In fact, it looks really good.  I just felt like something…different today.  I didn’t say anything before because it hasn’t come up.  It doesn’t feel like it, but we’ve only known each other for a week.”

“Wow,” Robin said, “Feels like longer to me.”

Tim snorted, “Believe me, live with him long enough, and it always feels like too long.”

“Thanks a lot, Drake,” Damian said sarcastically.

The rest of the meal passed without incident, and as they sat waiting for their dessert, Damian found out that Tim was right.  He could hold her hand just as well at the table as he could have at a booth.  Their fingers intertwined under the table, and a contented smile passed across Damian’s face.  At least, it did for just short of a minute.

As Tim showed Gina a picture on his phone, Robin gently released Damian’s hand and moved her hand to rest just above his knee.  Damian’s eyes widened as he thought _what is she doing?_   _This is moving too fast._

Damian didn’t have time to process the shock as Robin squeezed his leg.  The tightening of her grip sent an odd pain through his leg, and it was all he could do to keep from crying out in pain.

Damian shot to his feet, “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

The three watched the boy walk away with differing expressions on their faces.  Gina was not interested, Robin was slightly hurt and confused, and Tim was vaguely concerned.  His concern proved valid when he saw Damian start limping a couple steps from the bathroom.  Tim excused himself, saying he wanted to make sure everything was alright with the nervous boy.

Entering the bathroom, Tim found Damian leaning against the counter, breathing hard and biting his lip.

“Damian, what is it?”

The boy was quiet for a minute before he was able to answer.  “I don’t know.”

“What happened?”

Damian looked down at the sink as he said quietly, “We were holding hands under the table, and she grabbed my leg.  I don’t think she meant anything bad by it, but she squeezed, and it hurt.”

“What do you mean, it hurt,” Tim asked, concerned.

Damian sighed, “My knee.  The prosthetic has been bothering me the last couple of days.  I was going to tell Father about it tonight and see if he wanted me to see Dr. Thompkins.  I don’t know what happened, but if I remember the x-rays correctly, she squeezed right where the replacement fused with the bone.  It hurt.  It’s never felt like that before.”

Tim took a step closer, “Is that all that’s going on.”

“No,” the boy almost sobbed, “This is all moving too fast for me, Drake.  I like her, I really do, but I think I’m in over my head.  I think she wants things that I…I can’t do.  I’m not ready, Drake.”

“Then tell her that.  She’ll respect you for it.”

Damian looked up at Tim’s face.  “She will?  She won’t think I’m too young or too immature for her?”

“No,” Tim said, placing a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “She’ll think what I do; that you’re making a very tough, but mature, decision.  She may only be moving fast because she may think that it’s what you want.”

Damian looked confused, “What am I supposed to tell her?  I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Tell her exactly what you told me, exactly how you told me.  You like her, but you think you are too young for a physical relationship.  And tell her about your knee.”

“Tell her what?  That I’m a half-bionic freak?”

Tim sighed, “Tell her the cover story.  The dirt bike accident, remember?  Just like the dietary restrictions, she will see it as another facet of you that she didn’t know about before.  It’s just another conversation point.  Come on, our dessert should be at the table by now.”

Tim turned to leave the bathroom, but Damian stayed by the counter.  Tim turned back at the door and looked at the boy.  “Drake?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.  I would have ruined this day a dozen times over if you weren’t here.”

Tim smiled, “You’re doing fine, Damian.”

The brothers returned to the table, and Damian noted that Robin held a greatly concerned look on her face.  Damian smiled at her as he resumed his seat and lightly grabbed her hand.

“I’m sorry about that.  My knee was hurting.”

Robin looked guilty, “And I squeezed it, and hurt you more.  Did you hit it on something?”

Damian took a deep breath, “Yes, two years ago.  Shortly after I came to live with Father, I was in a dirt bike crash.  The knee you squeezed isn’t actually my knee.”

Robin looked confused, “I don’t get it.”

“I had a knee replacement surgery.  My knee is metal.  It’s been bothering me for the last few days.  I guess you just hit a bad spot.”

Robin looked on the verge of tears, “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.  You didn’t know.  You couldn’t have known.  I’m not mad at you.  I don’t think I could ever be mad at you.  It was just a shock, that’s all.  It just felt like hitting your funny bone, but it’s better now.”

“Are you sure?”

_Am I sure about what,_ Damian thought.  “Yes, I’m sure.”  _I think._

They ate their dessert in silence.  Damian felt he had ruined the afternoon for everyone, while Robin thought this may be the last time she would ever see Damian.  Tim and Gina left to take care of the check, while Damian and Robin stepped outside to wait.

Damian was having a hard time looking at Robin again as he considered what he wanted to say.  They spoke at the same time.

“Damian.”

“Robin.”

She chuckled nervously and said, “You go first.”

“You sure?”

Robin took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”  _I hope._

Damian took his own deep breath, “Robin, I want to apologize for earlier.  I didn’t mean to run off like that, without any explanation.”

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean anything by it,” she interrupted.

“No, I’m sorry.  It’s just…this is all so new to me.  You are the first person I’ve ever felt this way about.  I like you, I really do, but I…I got scared.  This all seems like it’s moving so fast.  I want a chance to get to know you.  I think you’re a neat, interesting, _gorgeous_ person, and I can’t understand what you see in me, but I want a chance to find out.  Maybe…maybe we can slow down, just a little?  I…I don’t think I’m ready for…well, for where a relationship like the one that I hope we can build will eventually go.  I want to get there, someday, but I can’t do that today.”

Robin thought for a while.  _Well, that’s it.  He’s not going to want to see me again.  I blew it._   “I thought you wanted to move faster.  I…I read society columns, sometimes.  I’ve read things about your father, and then Dad said you take after him.  I just thought…you know.”

Damian sighed, “You shouldn’t read those columns.  Or, at least, don’t believe what they say.  Yes, Father had a reputation as a womanizer, and I do take after him in several ways, but not in that way.”

Robin gave a small smile, “I’m glad.  Thank you for telling me, and I’m sorry I forced you to do things you weren’t comfortable with.”

Damian matched the smile, “It wasn’t all bad.  In fact, everything was great until you grabbed my knee.  It surprised me, is all.  Now that we’ve talked about it, in the future, we can move a bit slower.”

Robin nodded, looking down.  Suddenly, her head popped back up, and she looked at him with shock evident in her eyes.  “Wait.  In the future?  You mean you want to see me again?”

Damian took a step closer to the girl, “Of course I want to see you again.  Just because I got scared today, doesn’t mean I will always be scared.  Think of how much more we can learn about each other, how much better our relationship will be, if we don’t rush into anything we aren’t ready for.  I was scared to tell you this before, but I’m not ready for a heavily physical relationship.  That doesn’t mean we can’t get a little physical, but we can work up to the rest.  You are the most interesting person I have met in a long time, and I don’t want to do anything that will drive you away from me.  If you’re willing, I’d like a second chance.”

Robin was almost breathless as she said, “I feel like I’m the one that should be asking you for a second chance.  I don’t want to rush into anything, either.  I was scared that…that you wouldn’t like me if I didn’t…you know…if I wasn’t…if I didn’t jump your bones the first chance we got.”

Damian laughed as she continued, “I’m not ready, either, but I was scared that you had…expectations of me.  I want what you said, too.  My parents are each other’s best friends.  I want that, too.  I want that better relationship, without any…undue expectations, until we’re ready.  Thank you for telling me.  I thought I had messed up, and I would never see you again.”

“There is very little chance of that happening.  You didn’t mess up anything.  We just need to learn how to communicate better.  That’s something, I’m told, that friends can do together.”  Damian held out his hand, like he was reaching for a handshake.  “What do you say?  Friends?”

Robin took the offered hand in a firm grip and said with a smile, “You didn’t even have to ask.”

Damian again matched her smile, and a second after their hands parted, both stepped in and wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug, laughing.

Tim and Gina, who had been standing back, watching the whole exchange, decided it was their duty to thoroughly embarrass their younger siblings.  When the youthful embrace let up, both started clapping and whistling, like they had just watched a particularly entertaining live show.  Matching flushed countenances turned in their direction.

“Drake!  Ah, whatever.  You would have found a way to make fun of me later, anyway.  Might as well be for something I’m happy about.”

“Come on, you two lovebirds, it’s time to go.”

After a quiet ride back to the Abbey house, Robin once again nestled tightly against Damian’s side, the boys walked the girls to the front door.  Damian held Robin’s hand and pulled her a short distance to the side.

“Thank you for today.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget this time we spent together.  I look forward to when we can do it again.”

Robin blushed, “I had fun, too.  Sorry again about your knee, and…you know, the other thing.”

Damian’s hand caressed her cheek softly, “No more apologies.  We’re looking to the future, not the past.  I hope I can help you get what you’re looking for, what your parents have.  We can move at our own pace, as fast or as slow as we want.”

Robin smiled at Damian, “You know, for a first date, I don’t think we did so bad.”

Slowly, gently, Damian leaned in and kissed Robin.  At first, it was just a light brushing of lips.  Robin moved in slightly, and the brush gently built into a lock as he wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, their thoughts and senses filled only with each other.

Several seconds later, they parted.  Robin looked deep into Damian’s eyes and whispered, “I thought you said you wanted to take things slow?”

Damian smiled, “I do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t adjust our speed every now and then.  Slow, then fast, then slow again, until we’re comfortable.”

Robin took a step back as she heard Gina open the door, and figured her father would be close by.  “Was that your first kiss?”

Damian blushed and gave a short nod.

Robin gently brushed a finger over her lips, then smiled at the boy, “You’re not too bad at that, either.”

_Later…_

Walking through the entryway of Stately Wayne Manor, Damian placed a hand on Tim’s elbow.  Tim turned at the contact, and saw a contented look on Damian’s face.

“Tim, thank you.  You didn’t have to do anything that you did today, but you did, and I appreciate it.”

Tim smiled at the use of his first name, and the heartfelt sentiment.  “I hope, someday, that you will be able to do the same thing for someone you care about.  We’re brothers; we need to be there for each other.  I was happy to do it, and I’d do it again.”

“Just one last thing, and tell me the truth.  Is there lipstick on me?”

Tim chuckled as he looked closely at the boy’s lips.  “Nope.  You got away clean this time.”

“Well, if it isn’t our young gentlemen.  Have you kept up the Wayne tradition, young sirs?”

Damian and Tim watched Alfred walk out of the kitchen and approach them.  Tim and Damian looked at each other, then back at the butler.  Damian said, “As I understand it, no, we didn’t.”

Alfred was taken aback, “No?  Whatever went wrong, Master Damian?”

“I don’t know what happened, or what I must have been thinking, but Robin and I agreed that a second date would be a good idea, and we are both interested in seeing that happen sooner rather than later.”

Bruce walked up to the conversation.  He had been in his study, listening for the door, to see how his little one’s first date went.  Now, hearing that a second date would be requested, he was confused.  “It sounds to me like it went well.  Why do you say you aren’t following the family tradition?”

Damian looked up innocently, “According to the papers, you have a different girl every month.  I’m sorry, but I want more time with Robin than that.  We want to get to know each other, and I just don’t think I can do that in a month.”

Bruce gave an ear to ear grin.  “How long do you think you would like, son?”

“A lifetime,” he whispered.

Bruce ruffled Damian’s hair.  “So, I guess this is a stupid question, but did you have a good time?”

Damian nodded happily, “Yes, Father.  I had a great time.”

“…And what looked like one hell of a first kiss,” Tim threw in.

_That’s my boy,_ Bruce thought.  “That wasn’t too fast for you?  It wasn’t uncomfortable?”

“No, Father.  We had a talk about moving too fast, which I felt she was earlier, at lunch.  She felt she was, too, and thought that was what I wanted.  We agreed to move at our own pace, but I would have regretted it if I didn’t kiss her today.  It was…perfect.”

“You did okay, then?”

“She seemed to think so.  That’s what she said, at least.  Father, Pennyworth, thank you for all your advice over this past week.”

Bruce looked between Alfred and Damian, a little hurt that Damian had felt the need to seek out others than himself for advice.  “Wait, you asked Alfred, too?”

“Is that a problem, Father?  I thought advice was part of what he did.”

Bruce shook his head, “Alfred is better at giving advice than anyone I know.  I just didn’t know you had asked him.”

Damian walked over to his father, who placed an arm around Damian’s shoulders, “Well, I thought, he all but raised you, and you do have the reputation you have in society.  I figured…you had to learn it somewhere.”

Alfred’s jaw dropped as Bruce and Tim broke down, laughing.  Damian threw a wink to the butler, who quickly smiled and walked away, shaking his head and muttering something close to _like father, like son._

 

**A/N: Here is another unplanned entry, bringing the total of planned new stories up to seven.  This will be number four of seven posted, with three more in the works.  This isn’t the last we will see of Robin, either.**

**Thanks to those who have responded positively to my new character.  It’s always a struggle to know if an invented character will be well received in an established universe.  This story was something that I considered, but wasn’t going to write, until I got a PM asking if I was going to write a date for Robin and Damian.  So, thanks to wwe21, for giving me the hint that at least one person would like to see this story.**

**Like most everything I write, this is about twice as long as I originally intended.  I just can’t help myself when I get on a roll.**

**Thanks for playing along.**


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